Pakistani Venison Keema Aloo | Wild Table

Keema Aloo, translated from Urdu is Ground Meat Potato. This simple dish is a home cooked staple in my wife’s birthplace of Karachi, Pakistan. It is usually made with beef or mutton, but it makes for a terrific use of our ground venison. Here I’ve taken my own spin on the dish incorporating venison with foraged daylily tubers and spicebush berries. It can be dialed up or down for more or less heat, but it packs a ton of flavor either way. Build the flavors in a single pot and then cook it down until the gravy reaches the desired consistency, and you’re ready to serve with rice and/or traditional breads like paratha, roti, and naan. My favorite is paratha, which is a flaky, buttery flatbread that can be bought frozen and browned on a skillet in 60 seconds. This recipe is for a large batch, because Venison Keema Aloo is even better on days two through five and keeps very well in the freezer. 

Helpful Tips

• You add a lot of water to get the potatoes cooked, and I like this dish best when the gravy is reduced pretty far, to the point that it doesn’t taste watery at all. 
• Ginger and Garlic Paste can be used in place of the fresh stuff, but you can’t beat fresh ginger and garlic.
• The traditional Pakistani method of eating this dish is to tear off a piece of your chosen flatbread and use it to pick up a wad of goodness, sans fork.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Ground Venison
• 1/4 cup neutral oil
• 1 large diced onion
• 4-8 whole spicebush berries (optional)
• 2 inch piece whole cinnamon
• 4-8 whole cloves
• 6-12 whole black peppercorns
• 2 tsp whole cumin seeds
• 3 tbsp minced garlic
• 3 tbsp minced ginger
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp numeric powder
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 6 diced tomatoes
• 2 large potatoes
• 1 cup day lily tubers (optional)
• 3-4 Chillies halved (modify up or down for heat preference)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 lemon (squeezed)

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a large pot or skillet med
2. Once oil is hot, add while spices and cook for 30-60 seconds until cumin seeds brown
3. Add diced onion and cook until they begin to brown
4. Add ginger and garlic and cook for one minute
5. Turn up heat, add venison, cook until brown
6. Add all remaining spices except for Garam Masala, stir well
7. Add tomatoes and potatoes, and 1 to 1 1/2 cups of water, cover, and bring to boil
8. Turn heat down and simmer for five minutes, then add daylily tubers 
9. Once potatoes are nearly done, remove lid and cook down to remove water to taste
10. Once the gravy is reduced to your liking, add the garam masala, lemon juice, half the cilantro, and half the chillies and mix
11. Garnish with remaining chillies and serve with your choice of rice, paratha, naan, or roti.

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